THE VILLAIN'S POV Chapter 5 5: Organized Chaos

"When the world hurls its absurdities at you, there is no choice but to play along—even if you are certain it will lead to your demise."

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Ada couldn't help but flinch the moment her eyes met Frey's obsidian-dark gaze.

Frey appeared transformed today for some inexplicable reason. He was more intimidating than he had ever been, as if he had finally come of age and revealed his true, hidden self.

She paused, certain that he was looking to exploit her in some fashion. She had absolutely no interest in becoming a pawn in any of Frey's games.

However, her options were nonexistent.

The offer he laid out was something she had craved for years—longings she had suppressed in the depths of her soul were now surging to the surface, threatening to burst forth.

Ada bit her lip and finally gave him a stiff, reluctant nod.

"You better not retract those words, Frey… I’ll take the deal. Now—what is it you want from me?"

Frey relaxed into his chair, a fox-like grin spreading across his face. Ada tensed up, bracing for a heavy demand—but his reply nearly made her jaw drop in shock.

He held up both hands as if to signal his innocence. "I haven't decided."

A heavy silence gripped the room for several seconds while Ada tried to digest his statement.

Her fists clenched tightly as she erupted, shouting for what felt like the hundredth time that day,

"So you really are just playing with me!"

"There you go with that same tired nonsense," Frey uttered with a sigh. "I already told you—I am willing to sign an Aura Contract. Does that sound like a joke to you?"

"But you said you required something in return!"

He gave a casual shrug. "I do. I just haven't figured out what it is yet. We can settle the debt at a later date."

Ada grumbled under her breath, disturbed by his nonchalant demeanor.

"You are surrendering your status as lord, yet you don't even know what you want… This is completely illogical."

Frey rested his chin on his palm, leaning lazily against the surface of his desk.

"What is the big hurry? It isn't as if the Aura Contract can be finalized instantly. Besides, I cannot legally abdicate the lordship until I officially take the title on my sixteenth birthday—and that is still a month away."

Ada found herself unable to counter his logic. She knew he spoke the truth.

Observing her begrudging compliance, Frey continued to speak with a smirk.

"We have plenty of time, Ada. Why don't you stay here in the meantime? It has been quite a while since we shared a roof, hasn't it? It will give us the necessary time to arrange the contract."

"Me? Live here? In the same house as you?"

Ada trembled, her face contorted with visible revulsion.

Frey could only watch her with a blank stare, surprised by such an extreme reaction.

Just how much did my predecessor torment this girl?

"Your old quarters are exactly as you left them… And I promise I won't bite."

As Ada fell into a deep, silent deliberation, Frey slapped his forehead in sheer annoyance.

She hadn't spent nearly this much time weighing his initial offer—was the idea of living here truly that repulsive? Just how much of a scumbag was the old Frey to elicit such a response?

Of course, Ada’s hesitation wasn't without merit.

Frey’s history was a long trail of disasters, after all.

The memory of that day was burned into her mind—the day she stumbled upon him ruthlessly torturing one of the servants.

He had been a mere ten years old at the time.

Finally, after an agonizingly long silence, Ada let out a resigned sigh and whispered to herself.

"Dealing with Frey for a single month to secure the lordship… Yes, the trade is worth it. Plus, I can monitor him to see if he's plotting something… Yes, I can manage this."

Seeing her surrender, Frey simply nodded his head.

"I look forward to our time together, sis."

Ada responded with a sharp scoff.

Sister...

She never wanted to hear that title from this little demon's mouth ever again. Coming from him, the word tasted like venom.

Suddenly, she noticed a strange movement.

Frey was once again tapping at the empty air above his desk.

He had done the same thing during their talk earlier, and it left her utterly baffled.

"Frey, why do you keep poking at nothing? Have you finally lost your mind, or is this some kind of trick?"

At her question, Frey tilted his head, his eyes moving toward his personal computer.

"Tapping at thin air?"

Lifting the device with one hand, a sudden realization dawned on him.

"You… you can't see this?"

Ada narrowed her eyes, staring intently at his empty palm.

"See what? There is nothing in your hand."

Upon hearing her reply, Frey let out a soft, dark chuckle—the kind of laugh a villain uses when he has his prey cornered.

"Oh, it's nothing. Ignore me. It’s just a little habit I have to manage stress, so don't give it a second thought."

"Hmph! As if I would ever worry about you!"

Frey chuckled once more. "Right, right, I know. Regardless, let's pick up this lovely chat later. I believe we have touched on the vital points. I will take care of the Aura Contract myself, so you are free to go."

Clicking her tongue in annoyance, Ada spun around and marched toward the exit.

"As if I'd want to spend another minute in this room!"

She finally departed, leaving Frey in solitude.

However… she couldn't resist casting one final glance back at him before she left.

A single, nagging thought occupied her mind.

"Is that really the same Frey I've always known?"

With that doubt lingering in her heart, Ada finally vanished from the room.

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-Frey Starlight POV-

Once more, silence filled my massive chambers.

"Excellent… Truly excellent."

I whispered to the empty room.

I had achieved a great deal through that interaction with Ada.

No—I hadn't just handled two problems; I had cleared the entire field with one move.

Giving up the Lordship might look like a blunder, but that title had always been a millstone around my neck. Now, Ada would shoulder the burden while I manipulated events from the background.

Frey was, without question, the ultimate shame of House Starlight.

Holding the title of lord brought far more headaches than advantages.

Now that Ada was set to become the new lord, I had effectively tied her to my agenda—making it so she would have no choice but to follow my lead.

It was the ideal strategy to keep my power while dodging the lethality that came with the position.

Ada was a genius, the real brain behind the prosperity of House Starlight.

The ways I could utilize her talents were endless.

House Starlight sat upon a mountain of wealth—

wealth that I would be more than happy to use for my own ends.

Capital and capability.

Those were the two primary things I needed to extract from this family.

As for my martial path… I already had a strategy for my swordsmanship.

I simply wasn't ready to execute it yet.

Glancing back at my status window, my attention turned to my aura trait—Darkness.

This was the core reason Frey was labeled the family disgrace.

From the first ancestor to the current generation, every head of the house possessed the Light attribute, which had the potential to evolve into the elite Star attribute.

In contrast, Frey was born with Darkness, which could only develop into Shadows. As the head of House Starlight, he was fundamentally unable to use the family's ultimate power—Star Aura—because every secret technique in the archives was built for the Light attribute.

Perhaps Frey’s talent, which was A-Rank, would be considered impressive for a normal person. But it could never bridge the gap of his other failures—especially when his father had been a terrifying SS-rank monster.

However, while this difference made him a black sheep, his affinity for Darkness was perfect for me. The specific sword styles I desired required that exact element.

I needed to get ready. In one month, I would start my quest to claim that style… but first, I had to fix these pathetic statistics.

That night, I stayed awake, testing the Author's Tools in every conceivable way to prepare for what was coming.

By sunrise, I realized I had spent twenty-four hours straight tinkering with the laptop... which, strangely, seemed to have an eternal battery, as it never ran out of power.

That was a massive relief—trying to find a charger in a world where computers are extinct would have been a nightmare.

Looking at the device, I thought of Ada, who apparently couldn't even perceive it.

That was a stroke of luck. It would be a disaster if anyone found out what this thing could do. At least that was one less worry on my plate.

To sum up what I discovered over those hours…

First, if the system’s advice—whether it was direct or random—failed to provide a usable answer to my prompts, I didn't lose any Achievement Points. My balance stayed at 100.

Second, I couldn't just create broken abilities or nonsensical skills. When I tried to write something ridiculous like "Instant Death Gaze (SSS Rank)," a notification popped up with a cost so high I couldn't even count the digits… followed by that annoying jester's taunt:

"Kill my ass, you lazy author. Do you really think it’s that simple?"

I nearly threw the laptop through the window in a fit of rage.

On a brighter note, Talents were much more affordable than Skills. For instance, a Swordsmanship Talent cost roughly 500 Achievement Points.

That was still a massive sum for someone who only possessed 100.

Regarding Skills… I decided it was better to upgrade existing ones rather than build them from zero—it was much more efficient. I figured this out while checking Frey’s only skill: seduction. I saw that I could boost skills by spending points.

I clicked my tongue in disgust at that useless ability. With all the resources he had, that was the only thing he bothered to learn? The original Frey was a complete moron.

In any case, I would be able to enhance my abilities over time using points.

But currently, I was bankrupt. My only path forward was to finish quests.

I looked over the available tasks and sighed deeply.

Side Quests:

• Run 10 km → 5 Achievement Points (Daily)

• 100 Push-ups → 5 Achievement Points (Daily)

• 100 Sword Swings → 10 Achievement Points (Daily)

• Slap Ada's ass → 100 Achievement Points

• Harass a maid → 15 Achievement Points

I stared at the list in disbelief.

Why did the most insane tasks give the best rewards?

And slapping Ada? No way—I have no intention of dying today.

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Huff… huff… huff…

And that is how I ended up sprinting through the palace’s rear gardens, grinding out the only daily quests I could actually do.

I still remember the stunned looks on the servants' and Ada’s faces when they saw me training… It was a sight they never expected to see as long as they lived.

Even though this body was strong by normal human metrics, it was pathetic compared to the powerhouses of this world. It made no sense given Frey’s background. He should have been given the finest training resources available.

Yet here I was, gasping for air after a simple 10km run…

Something was definitely wrong with this body.

I collapsed onto the thick green grass, soaked in sweat, fighting the urge to go straight to the bath.

Unfortunately, I had to deal with the grime—because the other quests were impossible.

Touching Ada's butt was a death sentence. And harassing the staff? That option vanished the moment I decided to keep Ada around, as she would never tolerate it. Besides, I didn't want to further damage my already terrible reputation—it was vital for my future plans.

I stood up and headed toward the bag I’d left on the side, pulling out the laptop to check my stats.

Completed Quests:

• Run 10 km → 5 Achievement Points ✔

• 100 Push-ups → 5 Achievement Points ✔

• 100 Sword Swings → 10 Achievement Points ✔

Current Achievement Points: 120

"Well… it’s a start."

I let out a long breath, looking up at the clear blue sky. Starlight Palace was secluded, which made it peaceful. It was a rare quiet moment in a chaotic world.

"Only one year remains until the main plot at Temple Academy begins…"

I had to be powerful enough by that time.

I was consumed by the race against the clock, constantly sharpening my strategy.

Driven by the hope of seeing my family and returning to my own reality, I pushed myself. I had to evolve—quickly.

As I lost myself in thought, I couldn't help but notice how tangible this world felt—it was disturbingly similar to my home world.

Despite the various calamities that had broken the Earth, it remained a beautiful place.

Currently, the lands of humanity had been reduced to a fraction of Europe and parts of Western Asia—all governed by a single, massive empire.

The rest had been claimed by demons or monsters that had mutated under the influence of that dark entity.

While I rested in the luxury of Starlight Palace, brutal wars were undoubtedly happening elsewhere.

Every single day, hundreds of people lost their lives.

Since the appearance of the Gates, the global population had crashed from 8 billion to barely over 500 million.

It was a disaster that left the human race teetering on the edge of total extinction.

I enjoyed the brief peace around me while repeating my mantra:

"This isn't my world. Let the weak perish. Let the strong survive. I don't belong here."

"Yes… I will use any method required to go back home. As for the story of this Land of Survival? Let someone else be the hero."

Finally, I walked back toward the palace, planning my next move.

If I followed through with the crazy ideas in my head, I might not survive long.

But what other choice was there?

Risking my life was the bare minimum required to achieve the impossible task I'd been given.

So be it.

Show me what you've got, world.